Mary Ann Alexander is making a case for Trivandrum—with the “world’s best waffles”

Mary Ann Alexander was about five years old the first time she walked into a recording studio with her dad, Alex, a celebrated voice in the Malayalam music industry. In the years since, she’s turned that early comfort with a microphone into one of Indian R&B’s most distinct voices.

Since 2020, the Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter found her voice in singing R&B, hip hop and jazz tunes and has built a catalogue that includes ‘Bling Bling’, ‘Good Girl’, and ‘The Lovey Dovey Song’ (from her latest EP Love or a Lesson released in March).

Last year, the 26-year-old travelled to Ireland to record the global collab ‘Way Back Home’ with Kenyan hip-hop artist KP Illest. Months later, she landed one of her biggest co-signs yet: a feature alongside UK R&B legend Craig David and Nigerian star Tiwa Savage on ‘Commitments (Pt. 4)’. Her latest single, ‘NYC’, released earlier this month, was born in seven minutes on a park bench in the city—a result of her usual city shenanigans in a new place: wandering the streets in search of a park.

International features and travels might be taking her far, but Trivandrum is still home. She calls it “a very sweet spot between calm and chaos”. Here, she walks us through the palace grounds where her parents used to meet for dates, the roadside joints for late night cravings, and the one home bakery whose cake has tasted exactly the same since she was a child.

The place she’d take you first

“A lot of people say Trivandrum is a very sleepy city, but personally I think it’s a very artsy place—there’s a lot of cultural activity that goes on throughout the year. There are palaces, temples, and a lot of really good food. I have so many memories of being in Trivandrum during my childhood, attending cultural exhibitions and festivals.

There’s Kanakakunnu Palace, right in the heart of the city. It sits right next to the Napier Museum, the Trivandrum zoo, and the Sri Chitra Art Gallery. There’s also Nishagandhi Auditorium, an open-air theatre in the area. So, all year round, there’s something going on here. My dad used to take my mom to Kanakakunnu when they were starting to date—they’d take a flask of black coffee and just stroll around the palace gardens. It’s the perfect place to take a walk in the morning. Or you can go to the art gallery next door and see an original Raja Ravi Varma painting—they house 46 of those. It’s a must-do for me and my family.”

The festival that turns the whole city out

“There’s a procession that happens every year during Onam—the grand Onam float. Every single year, when all my cousins unite for the holidays, we go and watch it—the whole of Trivandrum turns up there. There’s a lot of costumes and big vehicles made to look like really interesting sculptures of animals, traditional houses, and nature. It just looks like a little version of a carnival.”

The songs that she learned from her family

“My family loves to sing—my grandmother takes every opportunity to be persuaded into it, and she expects everyone to follow suit. I grew up with my grandparents and stayed with them for the first 10 years of my life. My grandmother taught me a lot of songs, including all the ones from The Sound of Music.

There’s one song she loves to sing, called ‘Alliyambal Kadavil’—it’s an emotion for Malayalis. Everybody knows that song, and if somebody sings it everyone feels it. There’s also a Tamil song she taught me, called ‘Ooru Sanam’, which I used to sing in school.”

Where to catch the sun by the beach and the hills in the same day

“Trivandrum is so cool because there are so many different beaches—some right in the city, some a little further away. You can choose based on what you have time for and what vibe you’re going for. I personally think the best thing about the city is that you can do both the beach and the hills in one day. You can watch the sunrise at Kovalam and then take a car up to the hills in Ponmudi, a couple of hours away. Varkala is another beautiful place, but it’s a little more touristy.”

The one thing people get wrong about the city

“It’s overrated or just not true when people say Trivandrum has really bad traffic. People make it sound unbearable, but compared to Bengaluru or Mumbai, even Kochi, it’s pretty chill.

I also think a lot of people believe you have to leave Trivandrum for nightlife, but the city’s charm is in its small eateries, its chai kadas, its beaches, and museums. It has a slower pace, and that’s the charm of it. There’s still nightlife, though—my friend who taught me to DJ always has something going on at Hilton or different clubs inside hotels in the city.”

The late-night roadside food cart meal

“I was obsessed with pazham pori as a kid. But more than pazham pori, you have to eat parotta and Trivandrum-style chicken fry at a roadside thattukada [food cart]. It hits so hard, especially late at night. My dad stays in Vazhuthacaud, and there’s a whole stretch of trucks and joints on that one road. I’ll eat from any of those stalls and go home happy. I don’t think I’ve had one that wasn’t good.”

The waffle place that surprised even her

“One of my favourite places in Trivandrum isn’t anything traditional. It’s actually pretty surprising that I’ve had waffles across the world, and my favourite waffles ever come from Trivandrum, from a place called Paul’s Creamery. They make the best gelato I’ve ever had, and amazing waffles. Every time I go to Trivandrum, even if I’m trying to stay off sugar, I just give in—every single time.”

Local legends worth trying

“Everybody who goes to Trivandrum must have the Nikunjam chilli chicken, no matter where you eat. Another must-have is a chocolate cake with buttercream icing from an iconic family-run home bakery—Mathew’s Cakes—in Kowdiar. You have to order it a day or two in advance, but it’s worth it. I’ve had it since I was a child, and it’s tasted the same every time. I don’t think anyone who’s had it has said anything negative about it—it’s crack, honestly.

Kerala is known for its salted banana chips, but my favourite, which I don’t see much outside the state, is the ripe plantain kind—ethakka. You can get them fresh from any chip store on the street and pack them for taking back home. I like things that are sweet and salty, so these are it for me.”

The lesser-known stop for a real sense of the city

“If you like to read, or you want a sense of the city’s personality, I’d suggest visiting the Eloor Library. It’s an independent lending library and bookstore that’s been part of the city’s culture for years—a testament to a well-read city. It’s in the heart of Trivandrum; the locals know about it. It has a particular smell and a memory etched into every person who grew up there. As a kid, I used to pick up a lot of children’s books—detective stories, Goosebumps, Tintin, Asterix. We have a lot of Tintin and Asterix at home too, ones my dad collected as a kid himself.”

The neighbourhood that shaped her

“I lived with my grandparents for the first 10 years of my life, in the hilly area of Thirumala. You get there through a military camp, so you have to walk through the army grounds, which are lush and green with a lot of trees. The house we lived in was near the Parekovil temple, which literally translates to ‘a temple on the rock’. It’s built on these natural rock formations, and you have to climb to get to it. People just go and sit on the rocks there. I did that a lot as a kid, and went on walks with my cousins. Just sitting home on a windy and breezy day is a special memory of the neighbourhood I grew up in.”

Where to hunt for jewellery and accessories

“For costume jewellery and quirky accessories, there’s Saphalyam Complex. I practically grew up participating in school dances and competitions during cultural festivals, and there was always something you had to go hunt for—red bangles, a particular colour of bindi. We always ended up at Saphalyam Complex. It’s full of little surprises, and I think a lot of people from Trivandrum have similar memories of that place. Before school starts too, you’d go there to get all your supplies—it’s a whole complex of stores.”